Aloga Ogbogo (National Secretary, NARTO)
The ministry was a detachment from the Ministry of Transportation and I think probably the scope of the ministry of transportation was wider, so maybe the government had it in mind to detach that aspect of it from transportation for the efficiency of that sector. But, be that as it may, it’s still very much at its primitive stage. Most of the policies here are policies that will start materializing in the long run. It is a ministry that is just coming on board. The policies are just being rolled out and a lot of them, for instance, are the export processing zones, the trade zones and the Dangote refinery. Most of the policies are geared towards the long run, including the revitalization and creation of other ports like the Onitsha ports and the other ports. So the ministry will start beaming its search light on that. The implementation will take a long run to materialize.
Engr. Matthew Alalade (Former President, Merchant Navy)
I think the Minister is still trying to familiarize with the stakeholders. He has not started anything in the development of the ministry. So it would be wrong to assess him now. We can start accessing him; maybe in the next six months or one year. One year is too short to assess his achievements in a new ministry. We have not seen him in action yet. We should give him some time to stabilise and get familiar with the terrain of the ministry.
Frank Obiekezie (National Secretary, AREFFN)
Well, if I come from the perspective of the CRFFN that is our link to the ministry, all I can say is that we have not seen much because there is no news that the CRFFN is struggling to survive. The last time we had an encounter with them, it was with the ministry of transportation, not the Ministry of the Marine and Blue Economy. Our assessment of that Ministry will start from the re-energising of the CRFFN.
So, I must say that from the perspective of a freight forwarder, the Marine and Blue Economy has not actually taken off. It might be doing other things, but we are not aware of them. But as of today, we cannot claim that the Marine and Blue Economy ministry has started impacting the freight forwarding industry. That is my take on that.
Dr. Chris Ebare (Chairman, Institute of Chartered Ship Brokers)
First and foremost, we want to thank Mr. President for listening to our voice in the industry by creating the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and also appointing the Minister. We know that when you have a child today, he cannot start walking or moving around immediately. It takes some time for that child to walk and become strong because he needs the best nutrition. I don’t know the angle through which other people might want to assess the ministry. But I would say so far the honorable Minister of Blue Economy has tried. He is not from a maritime background. He is not a maritime expert. On the strength of that, irrespective of what happens, I know a year is too early for him to get the nitty-gritty to settle down to how that ministry operates. I think we should give him some time to understand the industry and get necessary advice from experts for the development of the industry and the Ministry at large.
Chris Sadoh (Stars Maritime)
The Marine and the blue economy encompasses the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and also to rehabilitate Nigeria’s maritime industry. The current administration has been on a good track with robust strategies. Despite the strategies, there are challenges in balancing economic growth with environmental conservation. Also, over-exploitation of marine resources ,habitat destruction, pollution and climate change threaten the health and resilience of ocean ecosystems.
To whittle down the challenges which the current administration is facing, the ministry should invest more on research, innovation and technology to unlock new sources or solutions for ocean conservation, resource effectiveness, efficiency and climate resilience, which will invariably pave more ways for a prosperous and sustainable future
Clinton Okoro (APFFLON PRO, Tin Can Chapter)
We have not really seen much done in the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry. So, it is still a baby ministry. But somehow, I see a little thing of him having meetings, engaging with NIMASA, visiting the port and all that. But we have not really seen the blueprint, something that we can really lay hands on and say this is what the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has done since the creation of that ministry. Talking about the maritime industry, the industry in the last one year of this new government has been tough, unless we don’t want to tell the absolute truth. The policies coming from the government are really affecting the industry. I don’t think there’s anything that anybody who has been in the industry will tell you, that things have changed positively in the port.
Taiwo Fatomilola (National PRO AREFFN)
There has not been any improvement in the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy since it was created last year. It is even far asleep than how it has been before under the Ministry of Transportation. Now, we only have more serious noises in the media about the Minister and his activities in the Ministry without any significant achievements to point at. We hope that the ministry will sit up and carry out its mandate.
